As defense budgets grew over the past decade, Congress shrugged off complaints of runaway military health costs and blocked every proposal from the Bush administration to raise TRICARE fees sharply on retirees. Defense budgets have stopped rising, however, and Defense officials today are sounding more confident that Congress will follow last October’s $5-a-month bump in […]

What happens after our students graduate from high school? While impossible to follow every student into the future, it’s sometimes possible to catch a glimpse. Having an opportunity around the holidays to interview former Clovis students, my faith in our youth was delightfully restored. Kanisha, Natasha, and Ray Beachum Jr. agreed to be my interviewees. […]

I know I may be getting older, but rules and society keep changing “Faster than you can say ‘Jack Robinson’” as my grandfather used to say, though he never told me who “Jack Robinson” was. The point is laws and regulations don’t seem to apply to everyone these days, especially when it comes to cars […]

Shelley Straitiff How many Followers do you have? Who cares? By the stacks of books and blog posts, obviously someone thinks the number means something. You can even sign up to get paid for tweets based on how many followers you have. That will soon be proven worthless. Social media needs to be about strategy […]

Rhythm rules the world. Years, months and seasons (where appropriate) are directed by a rhythm or cadence. Animal migration, hibernation, reproduction all follow the directive in Ecclesiastes: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Plants grow, bloom and die on cue. Even inanimate objects expand or crumble according […]

American Forces Press Service FALLS CHURCH, Va. — With winter break approaching, many college students will visit family or friends. Making sure their TRICARE benefits follow them during holiday travel is a simple process. To avoid higher out-of-pocket costs and point-of-service charges, students should get care before heading home or elsewhere for the winter break. […]

Liliana Castillo The Clovis Light Parade entrants have the opportunity to compete for cash this year. The parade will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday and follow Main Street from 14th to Grand Avenue. The city’s Christmas tree, located in front of the Curry County Courthouse, will be lit at 5:45 p.m. Entrants who pay […]

We hear it from Ward Churchill proteges and our most-progressive friends and colleagues. White male American Christian capitalists are intolerant of other cultures and religions, and they must stop trying to boorishly dominate the world. It’s a drum beat that never stops. Christianity may be the most openly blasphemed religion in the world today, yet […]

For most of human history, it used to be standard practice for parents to insist their children live by principles the parents have found to be sound. They also insisted children adopt all sorts of practices of dress, play, work, taste and so forth that they approve. Father was a barber, so son, too, had […]

Friday’s CNJ contained an article about Christians who do not attend church. But there is so much more to the story than what was printed. There are many true believers who do not attend a traditional form of church whose story needs to be told. These believers have decided to simply BE the church instead […]

CNJ staff photo: Sharna Johnson Eastern Plains Council of Governments’ Interim Director Richard Arguello says a meeting held Wednesday without proper public notice was an oversight that won’t happen again. Sharna Johnson, CNJ staff writer Eastern Plains Council of Governments Interim Director Richard Arguello said Thursday the organization’s failure to notify the public of an […]

CNJ staff The New Mexico Environment Department’s Solid Waste Bureau is planning a follow-up inspection at Plains Regional Medical Center in March as part of its investigation into infectious waste found at the Clovis landfill. The inspection will take place sometime in March, according to a SWB inspection report obtained through a Freedom of Information […]

CNJ staff photo: Liliana Castillo Blythe Turner grew up in Clovis and was named the teacher of the year in 2008 by the New Mexico Public Education Department. CNJ staff Blythe Turner grew up in Clovis with two teachers as parents. When she went to college, she decided to follow in her parents footsteps and […]

Reid-Earle Gregg and Sandra Reid of Clovis announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Tiffany Reid of Clovis to Joshua Earle, of Albuquerque, son of Jimmy and Donna Earle and Shane and Dave Elliott of Albuquerque. The couple will exchange vows June 13, 2009 at Days Inn and Suites Convention Center. A reception […]

By Kat Bergeron: McClatchy Newspapers BILOXI, Miss. — No one can fault the sentiment behind sending a holiday card to “A Recovering American Soldier.” But don’t do it. The card or package will be returned to you because the U.S. Postal Service has rules about anonymous mail for the military. Thanks to the Red Cross […]

Loera-Duplechain Eladio Jr. and Yolanda Loera of Clovis announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Veronica N. Loera of Clovis, to Senior Airman Logan J. Duplechain of Cannon Air Force Base. He is the son of Vanessa K. Lounsberry and Michael Duplechain of Lafayette, La. The couple will exchange vows at 3 p.m. […]

By Master Sgt. Buffy Galbraith: AFSOC Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. — They grew up with stories about his heroism and bravery as a 19-year-old soldier. They knew of his sacrifice to leave his new bride and his dedication to serve his nation. They were told he suffered a great loss and was never the […]

Montoya-Montes Leroy and Emily Montoya announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Angela Montoya, to Daniel Montes, all of Clovis. He is the son of Mario and Anna Montes of Clovis. The couple will exchange vows at 3 p.m. Aug. 9, 2008, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The reception will follow at the […]

CNJ staff Clovis native Joey Garcia will be doing today what he does every April about this time — watching the NFL draft. “I’ve been watching the draft forever,” said Garcia. “The last five years now, watching all the friends that went before me … it’s just fun, it’s exciting.” After leading the Texas Tech […]

Three online reports have generated dozens of reader comments in recent weeks. That’s good, Editor David Stevens reports, but we do have a few rules. Check out his Web log: Falling, With Style • • • Need a little inspiration? Check out the Bible verse of the day, compiled by Dianna Hernandez. To access it, click […]